“You have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.” Daniel 5:27

Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, the famous king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, his grandfather because of his companionship with Daniel, got acquainted with the power and salvation of the God of Israel, the living God in heaven. He decreed to everyone in his kingdom to stop worshipping idols and man-made materials and start worshipping only the God of Daniel. (Daniel 3:29). Daniel was a Hebrew young man who was in exile in Babylon. When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, Daniel and his three friends who believed in the living God in heaven were brought to Babylon in captivity. Later, God raised Daniel to the highest position in Babylon. All these accounts we can read in the Book of Daniel.

Now Belshazzar started blaspheming the God of Israel, the only living God, who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Belshazzar was an idol worshipper who worshipped the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

One evening Belshazzar ordered a great banquet for thousands of his nobles and started drinking wine with them. On that evening he blasphemed the God of Israel, and he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem so that his nobles, wives, and concubines might drink from them and ridicule the Lord in heaven. Then they all started drinking wine from the vessels taken from the Lord’s temple. He, his wives, concubines, and nobles drank from them and praised the gods of the gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. You see, whenever people lean to praise, bow down or worship man-made idols and images, they should solemnly remember that there is a living God in heaven who is the creator of all and He is the only God worthy to be worshiped and adored. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols/graven images.”

All went well for a short time. Then the king saw the fingers of a human hand appearing on the plaster of the wall in front of them, near the lampstand, and started writing. The king watched the mysterious handwriting. He became afraid, frightened, turned pale and his legs became weak, and knees began knocking. This was the inscription that was written. MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. The king’s enchanters, astrologers, and diviners could not read or tell the king what these words meant. Finally, Daniel, the young man who was brought to captivity and now over 90 years of old was brought in to read and give the meaning of these mysterious words.

Daniel told Belshazzar that your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar initially was arrogant against the one and true living God in heaven, but later he was humbled by God and acknowledged the Most High God in heaven is the sovereign ruler over all people and all kingdoms. Then Daniel said, you, Belshazzar, his son have not humbled yourself in front of the living God in heaven, even though you knew what happened to your grandfather. You blasphemed and denounced His name by bringing the vessels from the temple in Jerusalem, and your wives, concubines, and nobles drank from it. You praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which cannot see, hear, or understand. You praised the handiworks of man and the things God made, and you did not honor the God who created all and holds your life and ways in His hand. Therefore hear the meaning of these words.

Mene – God has numbered your days and going to bring an end. Mene is a noun in the Aramaic language, and it comes from a verb meaning “to number”.
Tekel – you have been weighed on the scale and found wanting
Peres – You are separated, the kingdom divided and given to the new empire – Medes and Persians.

That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Babylonians was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.
Do you know Bible says in Job 14:5-7 our days are numbered by God? God even knows the number of our months and days we live here on earth. None of us will live longer than the time God has set.

There is a day God will weigh each one of us like He weighed Belshazzar on a scale. If we do not possess the right standing before God by the blood of Christ, the Son of God, we will also find lacking or be wanting. Man cannot stand right in the presence of the Lord apart from the redeeming work and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The right and perfect standing before God or found not wanting/lacking when weighed on God’s scale is not something we can obtain from our self-efforts. Bible says perfect standing before God is given to us when we come to Jesus Christ and believe Him as our savior and Lord. Why? Bible says in Hebrew 10:14 By one sacrifice Jesus Christ, He has perfected those who are sanctified forever. This verse informs us of our perfection is not based on our efforts but is based on what God has done and gave to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

If we are found in Jesus Christ, we would not found wanting on the scale of God. Listen to what it says in John 3:17-18, “For God did not send his Son (Jesus Christ) into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Dearly beloved, are you saved by Jesus Christ so that you will never be condemned and judged instead will find perfect and blameless in the sight of God? We do not want our life to end like Belshazzar’s, do we? Come to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the only savior of the whole world and get blameless and perfect standing before God today.
Got a moment for today’s prayer?